Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-06-23
A FEARFUL RIDE
INTHE WORLD'SG GREAT BALLOON.
The Airship Falls AFTER Reaching an
Altitude of 10000 Feet-It is
Checked by n Farmers
Wife.

SI. LOUIS, June lO.-Ino W0rlQ anu
Post Dispatch balloon attained q height
of 10000 feet above the surface of the
earth yesterday at $40 p. M, according
to markings of instruments of the
United States Signal Service Officer
Hazen, who was one of the four in the
car of the balloon. This is the highest
on record in America. At this point
the thermometer marked 80 fahren-
heit. Correspondent Duffy says it
seemed very cold, coming from the
heat of 950 in the shade an hour before.
The air-ship left the earth as if reIuct-
ant to depart, but once on the voyage
upward gained speed rapidly and was
quickly among the fieecy clouds which
partially obscured the earth as a thick
veil, Doughty is photographing the
earth, Duffy is writing his sketch.
Hazen looks up from his instrument
amazed and sees Moore helpless, loss
of blood from his injury having render
ed him senseless. Hazen sings out,
"We're going too fast" There is much
excitement, but it calms in a minute
for the instrument records falling
Again the signal officer gives the warn
ing. "We are falling dreadfully" and
tosses out a handful of circulars.
They shoot upwards. Moore, half
aroused, realized the peril and calls all
hands to drop ballast The sand falls
scarcely faster than the car and the
earth seems to fly upward. Rivers,
fields and houses spread out as vast
map. Moore sings out, Something
wrong boys, if we don't stop her we
are lost"-1 900 feet from the earth and
still tumbling madly. The drag rope
touches earth at 600 and the check is
perceptible. At 400 the balloon skins
along, falling no more. Three humid
red feet of drag rope resting, on the
earth gave relief. More ballast was
thrown out and the air ship again as
cended, this time to 5000 feet. The
aeronaut then noticed that the bag was
sagging and announced that landing
must be made. When within a few
hundred feet of land the drag rope
skinned along the earth making a
trail four miles and in it's wake follow
ed crowd of natives. Several times
they caught the rope and were hurled
roughly to the ground. August Palms
farm is seven miles from Centralia, Ill.
His sturdy wife gave the drag rope half
a dozen turns around the apple tree
and brought the monster up with a
jerk. The wind caught the folds of the
balloon, and it scared like kite. For
an hour farmers tugged at the rope and
when the aeronaut pulled the rip cord
to his amaZement he found it already
loose. This was the cause of the fear
full fall so nearly disastrous to the occu'
pants Of the air ship.
The carrier pigeons that were released
from the balloon at 200 feet altitude
have appeared at their homes.
Hazen reports the voyage a success.
The balloon will be brought back to
the city. Arrangements are now be-
ing made for another ascent.
NEW YORK, June 1S.--The WorJd
will publish the following tomorrow
under date of Huey, ILL.,:
The balloon voyage, though short
| has been eminently successful in thu
: cause of science. The great difficulty
in initiation and ascension, which wa
hazardous to the original intention o
4 the projectors, rather favored the scien
. tific results. The necessity of expend
ing ballast at the outset to clear th'
ground, lightened enough to carry III
nearly 10000 feet high giving an ex
cellent opportunity for determining
the temperature and humidity of the
upper atmosphere. The temperature
at starting was 900 and at the highes
, point was $50. At this point the al
8 was very dry, though it had beer
| nearly saturated few minutes befor
. at an altitude of 5000 feet. The yer,
2 rapid descent of more than fifteen fee
: per second tested the psychrometer tt
, its best and it responded finely. Th,
: second rise to 5000 feet checked thu
s reading before made. We were at tn
: highest point in IL minutes the seconC
3 time, and at a height of 1000 feet in Il
minutes. Forty-six complete observa
: tions of barometer, psychrometer
, magnetic needle, and time made in
: hour and 81 minutes. The observation
showing the distribution of tempera
ture and moisture in the atmospher
: were made with better instrument
I than were ever taken to so high al
g attitude before, and are the most salts
/, factory ever made. The direction o
! the lower current was northeast, tina
. of the upper east, precisely as pre-
I dicted. The velocity of the balloon
: was about thirty miles an hour, nearl
D due east. We landed in Hoffman, I'LL
:. it required the united exertions Q
I thirty men to control the monster al
: ship, and it was impossible wholly t
a subdue it without applying the ri
cord, which took it's vital breath. D
one Of the party is at all discouraged
: : hut all are enthusiastic for another al
! tempt, which will be made.
HI. ALLEN HAZEN,
United States Signal Service.